


Backstory

by cjgw



Category: Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 07:54:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7214059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cjgw/pseuds/cjgw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little vignette about the night Evelyn left Abnegation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> This little vignette actually came from trying to build character profiles for a canon story that I'll probably never finish lol. I shared it with my friends and they all talked me into posting it. I hope to do at least a couple more if I can get an handle on some of the other characters. It's a little different from my normal stories *cough* no smut *cough* but I hope you enjoy it anyway!

Evelyn stood on the balcony of the five-story building that served as Abnegation’s health center.  She stared out at the darkened city, her hands clutching the railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.  The night was cool but not terribly uncomfortable.  This time of year would have been fall before the war, but climate change and years of radioactive fallout had reduced the climate to essentially two seasons now.  Evelyn shuddered, not from the cold but from pure unadulterated rage.

She had failed, miserably.  The acrid taste of that failure sat in her mouth like bile.  All her careful planning, her deliberate transfer from Erudite to the weakness of Abnegation, had all been for naught.  All because she’d made a tactical error and chosen poorly.  That fact sat worst of all with her.  Evelyn Johnson did not make tactical errors.  And yet, she had this time, and it was going to cost her.

_Goddamn Marcus Eaton to hell!_ If only he’d been as she thought he was, intelligent enough to see the wisdom in taking her advice, he could have taken over all of Chicago.  But no, he had to be in charge, in control of all things, especially his family.  Evelyn reached up and touched the tender flesh of her cheekbone.  He’d very nearly killed her this time.  Evelyn had finally had enough.  She was smart enough, gifted enough, to recognize when she needed to make a strategic retreat, and now was that time.

She tightened her jaw so much her cheek began to ache. She had decided to leave Erudite long before she met Marcus Eaton, but it wasn't until he'd come into her senior Faction History class to present current events in his faction, that she knew what she would do. She could never reach the heights she’d wanted in Erudite.  Jeanine Matthews was clearly favored by the current Erudite leader, Franklyn Booth, and as much as Evelyn hated to admit it, Jeanine was smarter than she was.  She’d considered Amity, rejected it as too passive.  Candor was out of the question.  Evelyn hated the idea of revealing herself under the truth serum.  The physical demands of Dauntless were abhorrent to Evelyn.  She hadn’t really considered Abnegation until Marcus.  The handsome Abnegation council member was eight years her senior, tall, broad-shouldered with dark hair and the most incredible blue eyes.  His physical attributes were an asset, but Evelyn had been more attracted to the spark of ambition she’d seen in his eyes when he talked about the future of Chicago.  They’d caught eyes and he’d flashed her a grin, the dimple in his cheek winking at her.  She’d decided right then and there that Abnegation would fit her needs, and so would Marcus Eaton.

Evelyn sighed, allowing her shoulders to sag with regret.  Seducing Marcus had been ridiculously easy.  She’d gone out of her way to be the perfect Abnegation during initiation.  It had been no easy feat, especially with her schoolmates Andrew Prior and Natalie Carson also in her initiation class, but Evelyn was an excellent actress.  Unfortunately for her, those same attributes had led him to believe she was pliable, easily manipulated.

It had come as a great shock to all of Abnegation when, the day after her initiation ceremony, Marcus had announced his intention to formally court Evelyn Johnson.  Marcus had been a bachelor for so long, people assumed he’d chosen to selflessly forego family to serve his faction.  The decision wasn’t met with open judgment, but Abnegation tended to not judge very loudly.  All eyes would be on Evelyn though, and Marcus had known that.  He’d recently been made faction leader, so he began scrutinizing everything she did, punishing her when she did something he perceived as wrong.  Evelyn still remembered the shocking pain of that first blow…

She shook her head, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air, hoping it would relax her.  She’d gotten pregnant with Tobias almost immediately.  During those months she’d carried him, Marcus had been relatively kind, solicitous even.  He hadn’t hit her after her announcement, not wanting anything to potentially harm his heir.  He’d made it clear he wanted a son and the relief she’d felt when Tobias was born was palpable.  She’d done it; she’d given him a son.  Surely he would reward her for that.

But Marcus’ cruelty had only increased.  Tobias’ rearing had become her most important job and, in Marcus’ eyes, her biggest failure.  He’d hit her when Tobias cried, taking it as a sign that her so-called weakness was infecting his boy.  Any mischief, any laughter, anything that did not fit Marcus’ definition of a perfect Abnegation child, resulted in a beating for Evelyn. 

She loved Tobias, she really did, but thanks to Marcus, her love for him was intertwined with resentment.  She hadn’t really thought much of children prior to marrying Marcus.  He’d made it clear immediately that he wanted children and Evelyn had added that into her plans. 

Tobias was actually a good kid, she mused.  He was bright and attractive and for the first time in her life, Evelyn had seen herself as part of a family.  When he’d been born, she’d felt hopeful that maybe things would turn out as she’d wanted.  The resentment hadn’t begun to build until Marcus began to use Tobias as an excuse to hurt her.  Evelyn wasn’t stupid, she knew Tobias was just an excuse.  Marcus would have found a reason to hit her no matter what.  But maybe, just maybe, there would be a way to use Tobias to get revenge.  Maybe she could eventually turn Marcus’ beloved son against him one day.  She knew that Tobias’ fear of confined spaces came from Marcus locking him in the closet when Marcus was in a rage.  Maybe that fear could be cultivated in the future for her purposes.  Tobias loved her, had tried to defend her, so Evelyn was sure that Tobias would have no illusions about his father.

“Evelyn?”

Evelyn turned and it took all of her self-control not to sneer.  Natalie Prior stood placid, her hand clasped demurely in front of her.  Evelyn regarded her coolly.  Perhaps she should have gone for Andrew Prior instead, she mused.  Andrew had been in love with Natalie since they’d all gone to school together, but Evelyn was sure she could have lured him away if she’d really wanted to.  She could have pulled on the Erudite roots, his family, hers and Jeanine’s had all been friends.  In fact, their parents had wanted Andrew and Jeanine to marry.  Andrew’s defection to Abnegation to be with Natalie had been a sign of weakness to Evelyn.  If one was going to defect, there needed to be a better reason than love.  Surely an Erudite should know that love was fleeting, a biochemical process.  Power was eternal.

“Is it time?” Evelyn asked, making her voice sound meek.  She’d become very good at presenting that weak, pliable front.  It was how she’d survived the last 10 years as Marcus’ wife. 

“Yes.  We’ve gathered some things for you.”  Natalie gestured to the two duffel bags at her feet.  “One has clothes, the other food.  There are additional supplies in the room we’ve set up for you in factionless.  I’ll bring you more as I can procure them.”

“Thank you.”  The words practically burned coming out of Evelyn’s mouth.

Natalie reached out, a coat in her hands.  “You’ll need this in the coming weeks.”

Evelyn nodded, no longer able to keep up the social niceties.  She slipped into the coat, her head down to mask her rage.  Only a handful of people knew she was leaving for factionless.  Andrew and the rest of the Abnegation council had decided it was best for her to leave in order to protect Marcus.  They’d never really accepted her, she thought bending down to pick up the bags.  They thought she had distracted Marcus, making him do things he didn’t want to do.  If they only knew how cruel he really was.

Natalie faced Evelyn one last time.  Evelyn wasn’t nearly as good at hiding her feelings as she thought she was, as Natalie clearly saw the hate swirling in Evelyn’s hazel eyes.  “I’m so sorry, Evelyn.”

Evelyn shouldered the second bag.  “It’s better this way,” she said softly.  “Please, look after Tobias for me,” she added, trying to make her voice catch with sorrow.

Natalie’s eyes narrowed.  She didn’t believe for a moment that Evelyn regretted leaving Tobias behind.  Natalie could only hope the boy would now have a measure of peace.  “It would be best if you stayed away from the other Abnegation unless you see me or Sharon Black.  We’ll make sure we leave supplies at your building.”

Evelyn nodded and brushed past Natalie without another word.  She slunk down the back stairway, the building quiet since it was well after curfew.  The stairwell was dimly lit as Erudite rationed the power after 9 PM.  Evelyn pushed open the door leading out of the building and began the trek to her new home in factionless.  At the edge of Abnegation territory, Evelyn looked back.  The neat rows of houses and communal buildings looked dark, peaceful, but Evelyn knew better.  Her face twisted into a mask of rage. 

She’d make them pay.

 


End file.
